LEAP To Fame showed why he is one of the hottest pre-post favourites in the history of the iconic event when he cruised to a first-up win at Albion Park Saturday night.
It was his 26th win from his past 27 starts at Albion Park, dating way back to November, 2023.
With a month until the first round of Inter Dominion heats, Leap To Fame is already $1.50 favourite to win his third crown in the $1 million final at Albion Park on July 18.
The seven-year-old is unbeaten across two Inter Dominion series. He won three heats and the final in 2023 and two heats and the final last year.
Leap To Fame missed the 2024 Inter Dominion due to a health setback.
Trainer-driver Grant Dixon was content to turn last night’s 2138m free-for-all into a sprint home, cruising through a 59.3 first half before blasting home in 53.7 and 26.1sec for a 1min53.1sec mile rate.
It was Leap To Fame’s first start since arguably the greatest performance yet when he destroyed an elite field in the $NZ1 million Race by Sport Nation at Cambridge on April 10.
“That was just a nice workout for him. He ran through the line good and that will sharpen him up a bit more,” Dixon said.
“We hope to get one more run into him before the heats (of the Inter Dominion), but the program looks a bit tricky.”
There is a free-for-all slated for Albion Park on June 19, but that will depend on sufficient horses wanting to run against Leap To Fame for it to go ahead.
“If not, we’ll settle on getting him right at home and maybe throw in a trial, too,” Dixon said.
“He seems good, Trista (Dixon, co-trainer) and I are really happy with him at home. Hopefully he has a good month now leading up to the first round of heats.
“He’s an amazing horse and we’re just so blessed to be part of his racing career.”
Champion four-year-old mare Captains Mistress cruised to another Menangle win last night and many think she could be Leap To Fame’s biggest Inter Dominion danger.
But she will go through a very different pathway.
Being four, she is eligible for and a $1.50 favourite to win the $300,000 Group 1 Rising Sun (for three and four-year-old pacers) at Albion Park on July 4.
Victory would land her a golden ticket into the Inter Dominion final and her second clash with Leap To Fame.
Their only clash came in the $1 million Miracle Mile at Menangle on March 14 when Leap To Fame and Captains Mistress finished a desperately unlucky fifth.
Captains Mistress has raced just 10 times for trainer Jason Grimson and the Miracle Mile has been her only defeat.
Last night she led easily from the pole, dawdled through the first half and ripped home in 53.5 and 25.6sec.
Grimson is set to try her at standing-start racing for the first time in the $100,000 Group 2 Redcliffe Cup on June 20.
Leap To Fame definitely won’t go to Redcliffe because of a probable 30m handicap.
PHOTO: Toby Coutts
